March 29, 2017 – British Columbia immigration’s latest BC PNP draw saw a focus on skilled workers in a move away from the recent shift towards international students.

In the most recent draw, on March 22, 2017, British Columbia immigration officials issued 437 invites under six streams, with 220 of them going to skilled workers

A further 164 went to international graduates, 38 invitations going to entry level and semi-skilled workers, plus 12 under the province’s entrepreneur stream.

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BC PNP: Invitations Issued March 22, 2017

Stream / Category	Minimum Score	Invitations
Express Entry Skilled Worker	85	104
Express Entry International Graduate	70	70
Skills Immigration: Skilled Worker	85	116
Skills Immigration: International Graduate	70	94
Skills Immigration: Entry Level and Semi-Skilled	60	41
Entrepreneur	126	12

Source: www.welcomebc.ca

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The latest draw bucks a trend seen at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, when international students have been the focus of the invitations issued.

The previous draw, on March 8, 2017, saw 211 out of 377 invitations go to international graduates.

Skilled workers were issued with 128 invitations, while entry level and semi-skilled workers received 38 invitations for Canada immigration.

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BC PNP: Invitations Issued March 8, 2017

Stream / Category	Minimum Score	Invitations
Express Entry Skilled Worker	90	68
Express Entry International Graduate	70	99
Skills Immigration: Skilled Worker	90	60
Skills Immigration: International Graduate	70	112
Skills Immigration: Entry Level and Semi-Skilled	65	38

Source: www.welcomebc.ca

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A recent tweak to the Canada immigration system, plus Donald Trump’s anti-immigration stance in the U.S., is expected to push more international students to study in Canada.

For the first time, points are now specifically awarded under Canada Express Entry to candidates with Canadian education experience to allow them to easily achieve permanent residence.

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Points Awarded for Canadian Education Under Canada Express Entry

	From November 19, 2016
High school	0
One or two-year post secondary	15
Three-year post secondary, master’s, professional degree or doctorate	30

Source: IRCC

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Meanwhile, Trump’s policies may not have directly targeted international students, but they have served to cast the U.S. as an unwelcoming place for foreigners.

Previously, students who held the dream of studying in the U.S. are now switching focus, and Canada is waiting with open arms and progressive immigration policies.

The top universities in Canada are already seeing hoards of international student enrollments.

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Read More

• Montreal Is World’s Best City For Students
• International Students Pushed To Canada By Trump Protectionism
• Calling International Students: Here Are Canada’s Best Universities

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At McGill in Montreal, a quarter of the student population is international. The University of British Columbia, meanwhile, is spending $127 million on a language college specifically for international students who need to improve their skills before they can enrol in the mainstream school.

Equally as important for the universities themselves is the extra tuition fees paid by international students, which can be up to triple the amount paid domestically. Another by-product of Canada’s population is also seeing the domestic cohort beginning to fall.

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